Appearances
by headmaster lion who can talk
Summary: Levy McGarden has very specific opinions about appearances. Gajeel Redfox makes her question every last one of them. High school AU
1. Chapter 1

Levy groaned as her alarm went off. She hit the snooze button and rolled over, hoping to catch a few more minutes of sleep before getting up. Unfortunately, her best friends had another idea. She groaned even louder at the round of her ring tone before turning to her nightstand and picking up her phone.

"Hello?" She asked, trying not to sound too annoyed.

"Good morning, beautiful," Jet said, sounding significantly more awake than Levy did.

"Good morning, Jet."

"So, are you ready? Are you excited?"

"Honestly, I could do with another week of summer."

Her phone beeped, signaling that she had another caller. Knowing instinctively who it would be, she added him into the call.

"Morning, Levy!" Droy called from the other line.

"Morning Droy," She answered back, finally climbing out of bed.

"Are you excited?"

"I already asked her that!" Jet said.

"Yes, yes, I'm excited! Of course I am," Levy piped up, smothering an argument before it could take off.

"Oh good," Jet said.

"We're glad to hear it," Droy added.

"I know. I wish I could talk more, but I need to get ready, and I can't exactly do that with a phone to my ear. I'll see you guys at seven?"

"Definitely!"

"Of course!"

"All right, good. I'll see you then!" Levy said, hanging up the phone.

The teenager walked up to the mirror above her dresser and examined the state of her head of blue hair. She ran her hair over it, briefly hoping it would calm the bedhead. She shrugged when it didn't and decided to wear a headband like always.

When it came to appearances, Levy McGarden both cared greatly and didn't care at all. She cared about appearing to be a good student, a kind person, and things like that, but not as much about how her hair or clothes appeared. The school Levy went to had something between a uniform and a really specific dress code, she she didn't have to worry too much about clothes. She liked that. She threw on a white poly with a black skirt, grabbed her favorite pair of black flats, and pulled her hair out of her face before skipping down the stairs into her kitchen.

The room was still dark, and Levy could hear the stillness in the rest of the house. Her parents both had the luxury or being able to sleep for another hour at least before having to get up for work. Levy threw a few pieces of bread into the toaster and got to work preparing herself a lunch. As she worked she thought over the year that lay ahead of her. Junior year. The College search year. She'd have to be on the very top of her game if she wanted to have as many options as possible. She wasn't worried though, not at Fairy Tail Academy.

In Magnolia, you didn't necessarily go to the closest school to your house. There's not really any public schools above the elementary level, so students and families look at all the schools in the area and choose which one they feel is best. Levy had chosen Fairy Tail Academy. It wasn't very close by, but the people were fantastic and the education was great. She had met so many friends there, including her two best friends Jet and Droy. They were both seniors this year, and they lived a little ways between Levy and FTA. Jet was kind enough to give Droy and Levy a ride, which always made Levy feel a bit bad since she lived in the opposite direction and essentially tripled the commute time. Jet always waved off her concern and insisted he was happy to do it.

Levy took her lunch and placed it carefully in her backpack before grabbing her toast and smearing a little Jam across it. She looked over her schedule as she nibbled her toast. She was in some pretty good classes this year: pre-calculus, honors french, world history, honors italian, psychology, AP english, PE, and elective. The english class was technically senior level, but she was so proficient in languages that she placed into it. Levy was good in her other classes, but she was _really_ good in languages. Levy frowned thinking about the open elective spot. Every year before four o'clock on the first day students had to go to the elective fair and choose an elective to fill their last period slot. None of the electives truly interested Levy, but she had to do it.

'At least I don't have to do the club fair too,' Levy thought as she started on her second piece of toast.

Fairy Tail Academy was all about student participation, so along with their classes, all FTA students had to be involved in at least one club or sports team. Freshman year Levy hadn't known what to pick and had foolishly tried out golf. She wasn't all that bad, but she got horrible sunburns and her shoulders always ached from the weight of her clubs. At the end of the year she was notified that she had been accepted into the school's Honors Society, which fulfilled the club requirements.

Just as she was finishing her breakfast, Levy heard a honk from outside. She grabbed her bag and went to greet her two best friends.

"Morning Levy!" Jet and Droy chorused as she climbed into the back seat.

"Hey guys!" She said back to them. The three friends chattered on through the whole car ride and Levy decided that even though she'd miss sleeping in and reading all day she definitely enjoyed the life she had at FTA during the school year. They pulled up to the school and climbed out of the car headed towards the auditorium.

The room was full to the brim with friendly faces, most of which were watching as Erza held apart Natsu and Gray's latest scuffle.

"Levy!" Lucy called, waving. Levy smiled at the bubbly blonde and wandered over to her, Jet and Droy in tow.

"Hey, Lu!" She said as she and Lucy hugged. "Are they really fighting already?"

"Yeah," Lucy said, "Gray took the parking spot Natsu wanted so Natsu had to park in the spot next to it."

"Is that all?" Levy asked, laughing.

"You wanna go, Flamebrain?" Gray shouted.

"Sure thing, Frostbite, I'll take you anytime, anywhere!" Natsu called back.

"That's enough, you're both idiots!" Erza yelled.

Levy laughed at the spectacle they were making and Natsu and Gray's old nicknames for each other. No one could remember where they came from, but the pair had been calling each other by those names for as long as anyone could remember.

"What are you smiling at, Levy?" Lucy asked.

"Nothing, Levy said, "I just think this is going to be a great year.


	2. Chapter 2

The electives fair was an absolute mess. Levy took one look at the swarm of students surrounding the small tables set up in the school gym and immediately turned around.

'I'll just go to the library for a little while, then come back when it's clearer.' She thought, heading down the familiar hallways to the library.

...

'Shit!' Levy thought. 'Shit! Shit! Shit!' She could not believe she fell asleep in the library. By the time she woke up the elective fair was about ten minutes from ending. She rushed through the halls and into the gym to find it starting to empty out. Most of the tables were either gone or packing up, signifying that the class was full.

"Oh no!" She exclaimed, looking around at all that was left. Not one remaining table looked desirable, and by the looks of it she didn't know anyone still looking.

Intermediate basket weaving, psychic intuition, assistant culinary arts, gothic medicine...are some of these even classes?

"Oy! Short stack!" The gruff call snapped Levy out of her growing panic. She turned to see Gajeel sitting with his feet up on a table.

"Oh, Hi, Gajeel!" Levy said, walking over.

"Why do you look like you're kitten caught fire?"

"Why do I look like what?"

"Tch. You look upset."

"Oh, it's just this whole elective thing. I got here too late and almost all the classes are full."

"Well why'd you get here so late? I thought I saw you in here earlier."

"Well I was here earlier, but it was super packed so I went to the library, then I sort of...fell asleep." Levy could feel her cheeks turning red as Gajeel started laughing.

"Gihihihi! That's great! I can just see you completely out sprawled over some book!"

As Levy watched Gajeel laugh at her expense she marveled at how far the two of them had come. Gajeel was a year ahead of her in school, like Jet and Droy, except Gajeel transferred to FTA last year. Before that the two had only met once, and it wasn't a very good meeting. Gajeel was messing around with some assholes he went to school with and Levy ended up getting pretty badly hurt, more so than Gajeel had intended, although he would never tell that to his old friends. When he transferred, everyone seemed to resent him for what had happened. No one bothered to get to know him, he was just "That jerk who hurt Levy." Levy couldn't help but be afraid of him. That is, until about a week later when he rushed across the street pulling her safely to the sidewalk when a car she hadn't seen was approaching the crosswalk a little too quickly. That was when Levy first saw the real Gajeel. She knew then that whoever had hurt her before wasn't him. Her acceptance helped convince the others to at least give him a chance. Since then their friendship has been growing steadily to the point where she knew that him laughing at her and making fun of her for being short wasn't meant to be rude. It was endearing.

"It's not that funny!" She cried.

"Oh, I disagree, shrimp, I think it's hilarious," Gajeel replied, finally calming down.

"Well funny or not I still don't have elective yet, and I'm certainly not interested in intermediate basket weaving. I barely got through beginner's basket weaving last year without jumping out the window."

Gajeel thought for a moment, looking the girl over carefully.

"How are you with your hands?" He asked.

"Excuse me?"

"You're hands, shorty, can you use 'em?"

"I guess so, why?"

"'Cause you could always try the shop," He said gesturing towards the table his feet were resting on.

"Intermediate production," She read. She knew he was into mechanics and stuff, but her? She struggled to picture herself in the shop.

"I don't know, Gajeel, I'm not so sure it's the best class for me."

"Would you rather take any of this other bull shit?"

He did have a point.

"Besides, All your pals were her an hour ago, so I doubt they're signed into any of this garbage," He gestured towards the other tables, "And don't you hate not knowing anyone around?"

Another good point, although she wasn't sure how he knew that. She never really talked about it.

"Well if all that's left is the undesirables then what's supposed to make me think this class is any good?" Levy asked.

"We've got a few spots left. No one really goes for the intermediate classes since you need the prereq, and everyone wants to pick some new thing to be into every year."

"Prereq? What's the prereq?" Levy could feel her panic start to rise again.

"Beginners Production," Gajeel said, as if it were obvious.

"Gajeel, I haven't taken Beginners Production! If I don't have to prereq then I can't take this class!"

"Relax, shorty, I'll take care of it."

"You? How are you gonna take care of it?"

"I'm TA this year. I can help getcha waived in if you like."

"Really?"

"Yeah, piece of cake."

"But won't I need to know everything that was taught in the first course? Especially for the shop, that's probably a lot of safety and equipment use."

"So I'll tutor you. Show you the ropes and all. It'll help get you signed in if I tell 'em I'm helping you catch up anyway. You'll have a decent elective, and you won't be alone. Easy choice," He said, pushing the signup list towards her. Levy took it.

"So what's the catch?" She asked suspiciously.

"Why's there gotta be a catch?"

"So you're gonna do all of that, including teaching _me_ of all people how to use power tools, just out of the goodness of your heart? With _no_ prompting?" She asked as she began to jot down her name and information.

"Hey, I can be nice!" Gajeel took his feet off the table.

"I know that, but it's never in so straightforward with you. You've got this roundabout sort of nice where if someone didn't know you they'd think you're incredibly rude but those who're close to you know that's just how you are. Like when you call me 'shorty' or 'shrimp.' My parents heard about that and thought you were some kind of bully. It took almost an hour to explain to them that you're really one of my good friends."

"How'd your folks catch wind of that anyway?"

"I'll give you two guesses," Levy said rolling her eyes amiably as she handed Gajeel back the signup sheet.

"Your two shadows still reporting on my every move around you?"

"Yeah. I wish they'd stop, it's been almost a year since I stopped being afraid of you."

"Tch. Whatever. Let 'em tire themselves out, I don't care."

"I know. Anyway, are you sure you don't want anything in return for your help?"

"Nah, don't worry too much about it. It'll be maybe a new face in the shop will counter some of the lugnuts we've got coming back this year.."

"Can I do something anyway? Because I like to be nice in the direct sort of way?"

"Well if you really want to do something you could help me keep up in english. I got just under the recommended grade last year to take the AP class this year and the stupid guidance counselors wouldn't let me take a lower level even though I can already tell I'll be swimming." He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at nothing in particular as he thought back to that incredibly frustrating meeting he had last spring.

"Sure! I love languages, and I'm in the AP too so I'll know what's going on."

"I should've known you'd be in senior's english."

"I can't help it, I love languages!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm heading out for the day, you want a ride or something?"

"Well track practices started today, so Jet's there, and he's usually my ride, so if you don't mind that's be great."

"Sure," He shrugged, "Where do you live?"

"Quartermain Street, right inside the Magnolia town line."

"Hey, no kidding, I live to streets over."

"Oh good, then it won't be too out of your way!"

"Whatever, it's not like I'd mind if it were. Not for you, anyway. Come on, let's get going."

As Levy rushed to keep up with Gajeel's long strides, her mind was swimming with curiosity about what her friend might have meant by that last comment.


	3. Chapter 3

The bell had already rung and Levy had not found the shop. She had been wandering through the back corners of the school's corridors frustrated and embarrassed. It was the first day of class, she was behind on the basic material, and now she was late. Things were not going well so far. With a sigh, Levy admitted defeat and pulled out her phone to text Gajeel. It rang a few times before he answered.

"Hey shrimp, where are ya? Didn't think you'd be the type to be late to class," He said over some heavy conversations behind him.

"I'm lost," She admitted. She knew he would laugh, but there was really no avoiding telling him the truth. If she didn't get some help she might not make it to class at all.

"Gihihihihi!" His trademark laugh cut clearly through the phone speaker. "You're year's sure starting kinda rough, shorty!"

"Stop laughing at me, I need directions," She replied.

"All right, all right, gimme a sec," After that his voice grew muffled, "Would you all shut up for a minute, I gotta give someone directions." Levy heard the other voices quiet down and Gajeel's voice return. "All right, Shorty, where are you?"

Levy looked around. "I'm near art room two and a set of water fountains."

"Okay, you're not too far then. Face the art room and turn left. It's all the way at the end of that hall. When it stops looking like some place that belongs in a school like Fairy Tail, then you're nearly there. There should be a door that says 'Authorized Personnel Only,' that's the one you wanna go through." He relayed the instructions and Levy began walking.

"Am I authorized personnel?" She asked.

"You are now that you're in the class."

"Oh, okay! I think I can find it now, thanks, Gajeel!"

"Sure."

Levy kept walking and watched as the neatly kept hallways turned into something she hardly recognized. The clean floor tiles turned into plain concrete and the few doors that could be found were windowless and significantly more banged up than elsewhere in the school.

As she walked, Levy thought more about her current predicament. She felt like she was coming across as extremely unprofessional. First, she had to be waived into the class last minute by her friend because she slept through the whole extracurricular fair, she didn't know any of the safety precautions or any of the prerequisite material, and new she was incredibly late. Suddenly, another thought dawned on her.

'Am I dressed appropriately to have a class in the shop?' She thought, glancing down at her clothes. Today she had on a school polo with a black cardigan and a grey and white plaid skirt and her favorite black flats. She thought she looked cute, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt like that was probably not recommended for this sort of class. She sighed and walked up to the door labeled "Authorized Personnel Only." She hesitated for only a moment before opening the door and peering into the room tentatively.

"Hey! Here she is!" one boy exclaimed.

"Here we go," a girl said.

It was a small room with about ten people strewn across two tattered old loveseats, a few mismatched chairs, the floor, and a small wooden table in the center of the room.

"Hey, Shorty, you made it!" Gajeel called from his place leaning against the far wall. "You gonna come in or just stand in the door looking afraid?"

"I am not afraid," Levy said, crossing her arms indignantly.

"Then get in here!"

Levy entered the room and looked around at the faces of the other students as she crossed to stand next to Gajeel. Including herself and Gajeel, there were five girls and seven boys, all people she didn't know except for one. Sitting on the end of one of the loveseats talking to Gajeel was Max. Levy didn't know Max too well, but she knew he was a senior this year and that he was in honors society with her.

"Hey, Levy," He said, smiling brightly, "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Neither did I, really," She said, returning his smile.

"Are you Gajeel's friend? The one who waived in?" A man asked, getting up from the other loveseat. He looked to be in probably his mid to late thirties with chin length brown hair and a goatee.

"Yes, that's me," Levy replied.

"Well, better late than never. Let's head into the shop and get this year started."

Everyone got up and followed him through a door on one side of the room.

"You can leave your stuff in here, shrimp," Gajeel whispered to Levy.

She put her bag down next to the wall and followed Gajeel and Max through the door.

"All right everybody, here we go," The man said, standing in front of the group while Gajeel leaned on a work table behind him. "For one of you, welcome to the shop. For the rest of you, welcome back. This is Intermediate Production. We'll be picking up where Beginner's Production left off. We'll be getting started working next class. For today I'll just be reminding you all of the shop rules and reminding myself of your names."

He pulled out a clipboard and pen, but instead of looking at the attendance list he looked intently at the students in front of him. He went through the group, staring for a moment while he thought before calling out their first or last name or some variation thereupon. He got to Levy and stopped. He thought for a moment and stared at her as if he forgot she was new to the shop and was trying to remember her name.

"No wait, you're the one I don't know," He said after a long moment. Levy could hear Gajeel snickering to himself in the background.

"Yeah, I'm new to production classes. My name's Levy McGarden."

The man finally pulled up his clipboard and looked for her name. "What would you like to be called?" He asked her.

"Levy's fine."

"Levy it is then," He said, writing the information down. "My name's Sampson."

He returned to the front of the group and discarded the clipboard. "And you all know Gajeel, right?" There were murmurs of agreement. There probably wasn't anyone in the school who didn't know Gajeel or at least know who he was. His transfer a year ago had been met with extreme backlash from some of the students. Natsu, Jet, and Droy, in particular, had very bad reactions. "Gajeel got through Advanced Production last year, and he's going to be the teacher's assistant for Intermediate this year, so you can come to him with questions in addition to coming to me. Safety rules: use your common sense. Always turn equipment off, don't walk away until everything has stopped moving entirely, don't reach across blades or other moving parts, eye protection is absolutely mandatory, as are closed toed shoes, preferably boots or sneakers. Skirts are not recommended, scarfs or long, dangly necklaces or other jewelry aren't allowed, and your hair has to be tied back. I don't want anyone getting hurt, so safety is the absolute first priority. If you don't feel comfortable using a piece of equipment by yourself let me know. I will help you, or Gajeel will. You will not have to put yourself in uncomfortable or dangerous situations. Gajeel, can you hand out the books, please?" Gajeel got up from where he was leaning and began distributing a large stack of textbooks. Sampson continued. "This class will be going from chapter eight to chapter twenty. Levy, you'll have a bit of extra reading to do to catch up, and I'd like to talk to you and Gajeel for a few minutes. The rest of you can go hang out in the green room until the period ends. No one leave the green room, though!"

The students all filed out of the shop talking among themselves. Levy walked over to Sampson and Gajeel.

"So like I said we're picking up where BP left off, so on top of reading you're going to have a lot of other work to do outside of class for the first few weeks. Equipment names and use, basic construction concepts, stuff like that. It's going to be a hectic few weeks getting there, so you're going to need a lot of hard work and dedication. Gajeel said he'd help you out, so you should get there okay. Good luck. And welcome to the shop."

"Thanks, Sampson," Levy chirped as the teacher left to bring the attendance sheet into his office. Gajeel turned to face Levy.

"We can meet up after school some days and do some work in the shop," Gajeel said.

"Sure! What days are you free?"

"Well, let's see, shop club meets on Tuesdays, and set crew's on Thursday, but the other three I'm free."

"Well, I've got honor's society on Thursdays. How about we meet here on Wednesdays?"

"Sounds all right."

"And we could meet in the library on Mondays for English."

"Okay, but you'll have to give me directions."

"You're a senior and you've never been to the library?" Levy was horrified.

"I may be a senior, but I've only been here a year! And you didn't know where the shop was, so don't go yelling at me or anything."

"All right, fine," Levy said, still offended that anyone didn't know where the library was.

The two walked out of the shop to find the green room entirely empty of people.

"Didn't Sampson say not to leave the green room?" Levy asked.

"Yep."

"And they all left anyway?"

"Well yeah, he's not coming to check on us or anything."

"How could they all be so sure of that?"

"'Cause we all know Sampson. Trust me, he's not coming back. Now are you coming or what?" He tossed the strap of his messenger bag carelessly over his head and turned for the door.

"But the period isn't over. What if we get in trouble?"

"All right, then stay in here alone for half an hour, fine by me," Gajeel said, leaving.

Levy hesitated for a moment before picking her bag up from the floor and rushing to catch up with Gajeel.


	4. Chapter 4

**I had originally intended for Friday updates, but this is coming out on Saturday more often than not, so I'd say be prepared for either Friday or Saturday. Also, thank you to those of you who left reviews. I like reviews. It makes this feel less like I'm screaming into the void.**

Levy had just about zero experience with being in the halls during class hours. Okay, she had exactly zero experience with being in the halls during class hours. Until now, that is.

"What if we get caught?" She impatiently looked over both her shoulders. "I don't want any of the teachers starting to think we're hooligans or troublemakers."

"You don't want them starting to think _you're_ a troublemaker. They already _know_ I'm a troublemaker," Gajeel said, smirking down at Levy.

"Haha, you're hilarious. But I'm serious, Gajeel, what if we get caught?"

"Relax, shorty, there's hardly any teachers out in the halls around this time. They're all in class, remember?" Gajeel replied.

"Where are we even going?"

"Don't know. Doesn't really matter."

"Well if we're not going anywhere then why did you insist on leaving?"

"I like to stretch my legs when I get the chance. I hate sitting still at those stupid desk chairs all day. Makes me antsy."

"Well if you don't have anywhere to go I could show you where the library is. That way you'll know for when we meet up to study, and if we do get caught outside of class we'll at least look like good students."

"Sounds fine with me," Gajeel shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I'll lead the way, then." Levy bounded forward through the halls with Gajeel just behind her.

Gajeel watched as Levy's choppy blue hair bounced along in her wake, swooping around every corner and swaying with her short, perky steps. He swore he could smell marshmallows, and he bet it was coming from her.

'So cute,' He thought to himself, smirking.

"Why do you do that?" Gajeel asked.

"Hmm?" Levy looked up to meet Gajeel's eyes.

"You always worry about what people think."

"I just don't want to be branded some sort of troublemaker, is all. I'm a good student, I don't want to start getting in trouble half way through high school."

"Then you may want to reconsider who you're wanderin' around with next time you cut class," He said, smirking down at her.

Levy pouted at him, hating his use of the phrase 'skipping class,' but she could feel the blush begin to rise to her cheeks. She looked straight ahead of her in hopes that Gajeel wouldn't notice. She wasn't going to pretend she couldn't see that he was attractive in a rough and tumble sort of way. She just...wasn't going to tell anyone. Ever. She was really awkward about things like this, and there was no way a guy like him who fixed cars and enjoyed skipping class would find too great an interest in a mousey little bookworm like her. Which was fine. She was content just being friends.

Gajeel smirked seeing his friend blush. Levy was a weird little thing. If he was honest with himself, she fascinated him. He had nearly sent her to the hospital when he first met her, and not he was almost as close to her as he was with Juvia, who he'd been close with for years. He frowned, remembering what had happened between them during the summer before his junior year of high school.

Levy, Jet, and Droy were walking back to Levy's house one Saturday Night. They had been spending the day studying for finals and went to the corner store for snacks and soda. It was an innocent enough trip until the walk home. They turned onto a side road lit only by a few streetlights. At the base of one of those lights was a group of five ruffians. Upon hearing footsteps, all five of them immediately looked up and stared at the three friends. There was one boy who loomed over all the others, a miserable looking girl, a boy with a thick line tattooed across his face, and a boy who looked too skinny to have all his organs and ribs intact. Leaning gruffly against the lamppost was a boy with piercings all over his face and arms whose red eyes were staring directly at Levy.

Gajeel.

Levy slowed to a cautious stop as Jet and Droy stepped protectively in front of her. Gajeel smirked at how obviously intimidated the three were being. Honestly, it was like they were asking to get jumped, really. Gajeel stepped forward and jumped into something with his buddies that he would end up regretting for the rest of his life. He hadn't meant for it to get as far as it did. The five of them circled Jet, Droy, and Levy. They tossed around insults and started shoving in what they saw as a playful manner. It wasn't long before things got way out of hand. Gajeel knew it was wrong, but he let it all happen anyway. That's who he was then. His school wasn't in the best shape, his home life was falling apart, and the top guns at Phantom Lord School wanted him around so yeah, he took it. He couldn't see until later that they didn't give two shits about who he was, they only cared that he was strong and looked like he could probably kill you. So when his buddies went in on those three random teenagers none of them even knew Gajeel joined in. It wasn't until they all heard the girl scream out in pain that everything stopped. She hit the ground hard. Everything had been such a mess that no one saw exactly who had hit her or what happened, but there were bruises all over her skin and blood was beginning to seep through her shirt. Her two friends rushed to her side as Gajeel's friends fled the scene before anyone else could see. Gajeel was screaming at himself to get as far away as possible, but he couldn't seem to make himself move. As he stared down at Levy, this girl who he didn't even know and had just helped to injure who knows how badly, realization ran rampant through his mind. This was who he was. He was the kind of guy that beat up outnumbered and unsuspecting strangers for shits and giggles and then wanted to run away when things got serious. He felt like he was going to be sick.

He was snapped out of his realization when he felt his friend Juvia tugging at his arm. She hadn't touched the fight after it started getting physical. She'd yell and cuss at anyone she saw fit to, but Juvia didn't get into fights unless it mattered.

The five didn't end up getting in trouble. No one had seen their faces except for Jet, Droy, and Levy. Jet, Droy, and all their parents had wanted to contact the police, but Levy just wanted to forget the whole thing and move on. Everyone agreed not to get the police involved, but Jet and Droy had made it their personal responsibility to make sure everyone at FTA knew just who had hurt Levy.

Gajeel went to Juvia after two days of skipping school and brooding alone in his bedroom and told her he couldn't be a part of that life anymore. He didn't want to be the guy that made people cry in pain if they didn't deserve it, he wanted to be the guy who helps protect those who don't deserve it. He wanted to care about something for once s maybe he could stop hating everything. Gajeel hated who he was. Juvia said she knew a boy at FTA who suggested she transfer, and she asked Gajeel to go with her. When he walked through the doors on the first day of junior year, the first thing he saw was Levy hiding behind her two best friends as a number of students lashed out in anger that he had been allowed to attend. The two locked eyes and Gajeel felt a sharp pang of self-loathing stronger than he'd felt in years. Being at Phantom made him push it to the back of his mind, but seeing those big brown eyes staring at him like that reminded him just how much he hated himself. The bastard they all hated was the bastard he hated too.

"Hey!" Levy's voice broke through Gajeel's unpleasant memories.

"Hmm?" He looked down at her and met her eyes. He had spent a lot of time looking at Levy's eyes. Any chance he got he searched for signs of the fear he saw in them when he first entered FTA, but he hasn't seen it there in almost a year. Levy had forgiven him. She had welcomed him. She had befriended him. She was so kind and gentle to everyone, and when no one was willing to talk to him she gave him a speck of hope that someday he could change. Gajeel had never told anyone this, and he wasn't sure he ever would, but she was the reason he was able to change. She was one of the only people to have seen any of what he was like during his time at Phantom, yet she still saw the good in him. He wanted to be someone who was worthy of having a friend like her.

"Are you okay, Gajeel? You looked really upset about something."

Gajeel smiled down at her. "Nah, I'm all right."

"Are you sure? Because you can tell me of something's wrong."

Gajeel snickered and ruffled Levy's hair. "I know that, shrimp. I'm fine, really. I was just thinking about some stuff is all."

Levy groaned at her rumpled hair but made no more attempts to ask Gajeel what was wrong. She knew exactly what he had been thinking about. Juvia told her how bent up he still is about what had happened between them. It broke Levy's heart to know that he still lets himself be haunted by that.

Suddenly, Gajeel froze in place. Levy took a step or two further before realizing he'd stopped and looking back at him.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

In the space of about a second, Gajeel grabbed Levy's hand, pulled her into the nearest storage closet, and shut the door quietly. Inside he held Levy in place by the waist and held a hand over her mouth.

"Hey, what's going on?" Came Levy's muffled voice from beneath Gajeel's fingerless gloves. "What are you doing?"

Gajeel leaned into her ear and whispered: "Someone was coming, sounded like a teacher."

The warmth of Gajeel's voice against her ear sent a shiver down Levy's spine that, of course, he felt thanks to how close they were in the cramped closet. Gajeel bit back a snicker as he flashed the girl a mischievous smirk. Levy blushed feverishly as she scowled at the older boy. She bit his hand and he retracted it with a soft yelp.

"I can stay quiet if I know what's going on," She whispered.

Gajeel looked away, hoping Levy didn't notice his ears getting red, and placed his now free hand on the other side of her waist. Levy's arms had been caught in front of her and her hands rested on the front of Gajeel's white button down. The two watched between the slats of the shade on the small window as the teacher that had approached handed out a detention slip to another student she had found in the hall.

"I told you this was a bad idea," Levy whispered.

"I thought you said you could be quiet," Gajeel whispered back.

As the teacher left the two waited for a few moments longer then emerged from the closet.

"Next time, don't even bother asking me to leave class early," Levy said pointing sharply into Gajeel's chest, "Because I am _not_ doing that again."

She turned and continued off toward the library.

'So damn cute,' Gajeel thought as he began to follow her once more.


	5. Chapter 5

Levy strolled into the French classroom and immediately scanned the area for empty seats. She noticed a seat in the front right corner next to Juvia and decided that would be a good spot. She sat down and began taking out the French text book as she smiled up at her friend.

"Hi Juvia!" She said.

"Hello Levy!" Juvia replied cheerfully.

"How was your summer? You were lifeguarding, right?"

"Yes, Juvia was stationed down at the beach. It was lovely! All that fresh air."

'She worked at the beach all summer yet she's still so pale!' Levy thought to herself.

"Well, if you ask me summer's not time to be at the beach. It's way too hot," Gray said as he sat in the seat behind Juvia. Juvia blushed as she stared at him.

"You think everything's too hot, Gray," Levy said, rolling her eyes amicably.

"That's not true. The ice rink's the perfect temperature.

Gray was the town's best ice hockey player. He'd been playing since he was a kid, and by the time he turned twelve he had coaches practically beating down his door to play hockey at their schools. He was placed on the varsity hockey team immediately upon starting at FTA, and by his sophomore year he was team captain. He spent pretty much all his free time down at the hockey rink, especially during the summer.

"Levy, Juvia would like to invite you to her back to school party this Friday," Juvia said, although she was still staring longingly at Gray.

"Will the pool be open?"

"Of course!"

"Great! I'll bring a bathing suit then."

As much as Gray loved the ice, Juvia loved the water. She'd been a natural swimmer for ages. She had her sights set on going pro after high school, and honestly, she could probably do it.

"Wonderful. Juvia is very excited to be starting senior year!"

"Yeah, you and me both," Gray said, "I love the place, and the people are great, but there's a whole world outside I can't wait to see."

'Huh, I guess I'm friends with a lot of seniors,' Levy thought as Gray and Juvia talked about which colleges they were applying to. 'I guess that's what happens when you take so many advanced classes.'

Levy smiled as she watched her friends chatter on as they always did; Juvia was head over heels, and Gray wasn't quite sure what he wanted. He obviously had some level of feelings for her, even if they were mostly platonic, but no one can ever get him to talk about any feelings at all so Juvia's had a hard time winning him over ever since they met.

'Maybe this year he'll finally figure something out,' Levy thought.

Gajeel walked into the room for his statistics class and rolled his eyes almost immediately. There was no mistaking that spiky pink head of hair or the yelling. Why was he always yelling?

'Salamander,' He thought, 'Of course.'

Natsu was sitting in the middle of the room yammering on about his cat being the greatest one in the world.

"Your cat may be blue, but he'll never be as fierce as Pantherlily," Gajeel said, sitting in the seat next to Natsu.

"Oh, hey man, what's up?" Natsu said, smiling like an idiot. "How've you been?"

"Can't complain. You working this weekend?"

"Yeah, I'm supposed to."

"Who you got?"

"Girls 10-12, but it's during soccer practice. Any chance you're on the schedule for something earlier than noon?"

"Yeah, I've got boys 7-9, game starts at 8. It's yours if you want it," Gajeel said, leaning back in his chair.

"Sweet! Thanks, man."

"Tch. Whatever. Lets me sleep in more."

Gajeel and Natsu spent their weekends as referees for the Magnolia Youth Recreational Soccer League and every few months helping run soccer clinics. Honestly, the job was one of the main reasons Natsu learned to forgive Gajeel. It would shock most of the school, but Gajeel was surprisingly good with kids. It was hard to hate a guy after you watched him help a little girl with pigtails bandage up her scraped knee and dry her tears.

"You going to Juvia's on Friday?" Natsu asked, finally taking out a notebook.

"I'll probably end up there eventually," Gajeel replied, rolling his eyes as he thought about his oldest friend.

He'd known Juvia for a damn long time, and every year she'd throw a party on the first Friday of the new school year. Back when they were at Phantom the parties were dirt. People only came through to drink or get high. But last years? God damn, was last year's party nice. Barely anyone knew who Juvia was, and most of them were still afraid of Gajeel, but everyone still came out and tried their best to make them feel welcome. This school was something else.

Thinking back, Juvia's party last year was when Gajeel started his friendship with Levy. He saw her sitting with Lucy, Cana, Natsu, and her two shadows. They were all lounging around by the pool and there were distinct scars visible on the three he and his old schoolmates had ambushed. The one that really hit him hard was the one right across Levy's abdomen. Gajeel remembered how his heart sunk in his chest seeing what he had helped do to them. Do to her. He got up from the corner he was brooding in and walked straight over to the group. Jet and Droy stepped protectively in front of Levy as soon as Gajeel had gotten up. They'd been watching him suspiciously the whole night to make sure he didn't try to pull anything and hurt Levy. When they noticed Jet and Droy move, Natsu, Lucy, and Cana stood up a prepared themselves for something to go down. When Gajeel got over to them, the Fairy Tail students were completely unprepared for what was going to happen.

"I wanted to say sorry," Gajeel said, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. He couldn't bring himself to meet any of their eyes. "I know you probably hate me. You've got every reason to. None of you deserved what happened, and I'm sorry." He turned to leave when something stopped him.

"Wait!" Levy called out, grabbing his wrist.

Gajeel turned to face her, looking into her chocolate brown eyes for the first time. "What?"

"Thank you for apologizing," She said, giving him a smile. It was a weak smile, and he knew she was still afraid, but she was trying.

Gajeel grunted in response, looking at the ground.

"Do you want to sit with us?" She asked.

Gajeel looked back up. He was as shocked by her offer as her friends had been at his apology.

"What?" Jet and Droy yelled.

"Levy, are you sure that's a good idea?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, I don't think I wanna have this guy around," Natsu said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm with Natsu on this one, Lev," Cana said.

"It'll be fine," Levy said.

Gajeel didn't say anything, but he sat down with them. Jet and Droy placed themselves between Levy and Gajeel. He hadn't really expected anything different. He could feel five pairs of eyes watching him warily for the next few hours, but all that really mattered was the one pair that was watching him cheerfully. Levy was ready to start forgiving him

In that moment he hated himself even more. He didn't deserve her forgiveness, yet she had so readily offered it. He decided right then and there that he would become the kind of man who was worthing of someone like Levy forgiving him for what he'd done.

Gajeel smiled to himself as the teacher walked to the front of the room to start taking attendance. In his opinion, he still hadn't earned Levy's kindness, not that he ever thought he would, but he had come so far. He was happier now than he'd ever been in his life. He was a better person. Now he might actually have a shot at a real, worthwhile future.

That girl was something else.


	6. Chapter 6

**HELLO! I was really busy then I went on vacation. But now I'm BACK. Isn't it GREAT? I'm happy to be back.**

Levy pulled her blue vest on over the top of her favorite orange swimsuit and fastened the buttons. She picked her bag up off her bed just as she hear the quick honk of Jett's car horn outside her house. Right on time. She climbed in the back seat and smiled at her two best friends in the front.

"Hey, guys!" She chirped as Jet pulled away from her curb.

"Hi, Levy!" They called back to her in unison.

"Are you ready to party?" Droy asked.

"Yeah," Levy said, "It'll be fun! Just like last year."

"Hopefully not," Jet mumbled under his breath. Levy just barely caught it, and it took her a moment before she figured out what he had said.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"It's nothing really."

"Jet, it's obviously something, tell me what you mean."

Jet remained silent. He hadn't meant for Levy to hear him and he knew she'd be upset.

"Jet," She said sternly.

Jet sighed. "It's just that...I kind of sort of maybe hope we see a little less of that metalhead is all.

"Metalhead...You mean Gajeel?"

"He's bad news, Levy," Droy said.

Levy was furious. She was sick and tired of having to defend Gajeel to these two. Her parents weren't even this bad. "Seriously? Guys, he's been nothing but good since he transferred. He's different now. He's fine."

"Yeah, well that doesn't change what he did to you. You have to know that," Jet said coldly.

"Of course I know that. You really think I don't know that?" Levy was only getting angrier with her friends.

"It sure looks like you forgot," Droy said, turning in his seat to face her.

"People think you're dating him, Levy," Jet locked eyes with her in the rearview mirror.

"I haven't forgotten what he was like before. He was a cold, lonely kid looking for cheap thrills and any kind of acceptance he could find even if it was in the wrong places. He was reckless and stupid. I remember that every time I see the scars in the mirror. Or have you forgotten I walked away with those? Because you seem pretty forgetful."

"We remember everything, Levy," Jet said, his voice beginning to rise.

"That's funny," Levy said, her voice matching Jet's "Because you both always seem to forget every good thing Gajeel's ever done for anyone in favor of that one instance we saw him do bad. You even forget that he saved my life not a week after joining FTA! Honestly guys, I know you mean well. I know you're just trying to look out for me. But I need you to stop seeing me as the defenseless little kid I was when we met. I need you to be my friends, not my bodyguards!"

Jet and Droy were both taken aback at Levy's outburst. She huffed at their lack of response and crossed her arms across her chest. She spent the rest of the silent car ride staring out the window. She got out of the car as soon as they pulled up to Juvia's house and ignored Jet and Droy's calls for her to wait. She walked through the gate and around to the back yard where people were milling about happily. Levy found an empty chair and pulled off her vest and white shorts. She sat down, laying her bag and clothes down on the ground. She looked around at all her friends and classmates.

At a table across the pool, Max sat with his best friend Warren from the AV club. They were both laughing as they watched a tipsy Cana hold a dance off against the captain of the dance team Vijeeter. Cana was holding her own, but still losing. Levy was embarrassed at even the thought of people watching her drunk or dancing. It was a wonder Cana could manage to do both. Levy's good friend Lucy sat with Juvia on the edge of the pool as Juvia swooned over Gray who was in the process of trying to dunk Natsu under water. Both boys ended up getting pushed under when Erza decided she was tired of their bickering. Erza was a senior and student body president, and she made it her business to make sure everyone got along and behaved themselves. The two boys were difficult to read. They seemed entirely like they hated each other, but also like they were the closest friends in the world, and Erza was the same towards pretty much everyone she knew. At a table a few feet away from Levy was the senior class valedictorian Freed. Levy knew him from Honors society, but she didn't really know his friends. The girl was pretty, and you could see just how confident she was in herself. Levy admired that, and she thought the girl's glasses were cute. The boy to Freed's left Levy recognized as one of the members of her Shop class. Bickslow, was it? He had some sort of triple mohawk and a tattoo on his face. Levy found both baffling but supposed that was his business. The boy to Freed's right, the one Freed was openly fawning over, was someone Levy knew of but didn't know. Everyone knew who Laxus Dreyar was, hi's grandfather was headmaster. That and he had a very imposing premise. He had graduated last year, but he and the other three were essentially inseparable, and anyway Juvia wasn't one to turn people away. That also explained why Wendy and Romeo got invited. The seventh graders sat a few feet in front of Levy on the edge of the pool kicking her feet and giggling as she watched one of the football players, Elfman, losing in a splash fight against his two sisters, Mirajane and Lisanna, who Levy always saw working in the coffee shop. Alzack sat near the edge of the pool in deep conversation with his girlfriend Bisca who was in the pool leaning against the edge, and two more nearby chairs were occupied by Laki and Kinnana. Levy looked to the last corner of the yard and saw Jet and Droy sulking and watching over her. She sighed and swept her eyes across the yard again. She felt a pang of disappointment when the only other person she saw was that guy from Lamia Scale who Gray may or may not hate. She looked over towards the gate and scanned through the group of people coming in.

"Looking for someone?" Levy recognized the gruff voice immediately and glanced to her right to see Gajeel pulling over a chair and sitting down next to her.

"Maybe," She said.

"And?"

"And maybe I found them," she said, eying the red cup in his hand wearily.

"Relax, shorty," Gajeel said, catching Levy's gaze, "It's just water."

"Really? You don't drink?" Levy was sure a guy like him would drink, age restrictions be damned.

"I do on occasion at home, but I don't like to drink at parties."

Levy looked up at Gajeel with her big, curious, brown eyes and Gajeel sighed before continuing. He could tell she wouldn't move on without an answer.

"You know how far this place is from our area, I'm driving home, and who knows who else might need a lift home. Besides, Juvia throws these parties all the time, the least someone can do is stay sober to keep an eye on everyone, you know, make sure they don't totally wreck her yard or some shit like that."

Levy looked over to Juvia who was now warding off heavy advances from the Lamia Scale guy. She had never really thought about the possibility of someone wrecking anything. The Student body of Fairy Tail Academy may be a bit unruly, but they were so well meaning and kind hearted, they'd never do anything like that. Then it hit her. Levy looked back up at Gajeel who was now looking out over the crowd. Keeping an eye on everyone must be an old habit. A Phantom habit.

"You know if you keep looking at me like that someone here's gonna start to think you've got a crush on me or something," Gajeel said, turning back to Levy with that shit eating smirk across his face. Levy blushed and looked towards the ground, remembering what Jet had said earlier about people thinking the two were dating.

"Hey, I'm just teasing ya, you're fine," Gajeel said nudging her on the arm. "So what's with your two shadows, they seem upset. And they're not trying to shield you from me. Everything okay between you three?" Gajeel looked down at Levy with a look of genuine concern. For as much trouble as Jet and Droy tried to cause him, he was still concerned about their wellbeing. This guy never stopped surprising Levy.

"It's nothing, it'll be fine by tomorrow I think," She said. Gajeel could tell something was off, though.

"Anything you wanna talk about?"

"They just...don't like you still. And it kind of makes me angry that they won't give you a chance. Honestly, don't worry about it, though, they'll come around eventually. And anyway, everyone else knows you're a good guy. They're just over protective is all," Levy said before adding under her breath "And maybe a bit jealous."

"S'there something here for those two to be jealous of?" Gajeel asked, leaning in close to Levy with this vicious smirk of his. She could feel her face heating up and felt a flutter inside her at the closeness.

"Wanna see if I can make 'em really crazy?" Gajeel asked, snaking an arm around Levy's shoulders. She felt a sudden, unexpected pang of wanting badly for him to kiss her, but after a hot second, Levy felt his other arm slip under her knees and confusion overtook her.

Levy suddenly became aware that Gajeel had lifted her out of her chair and before she could register that they were even moving he had tossed her easily into the deep end of the pool. She pushed herself back up to the surface just in time to be splashed by Gajeel jumping in next to her.

"Gajeel!" She scolded, but all Gajeel was doing was laughing. Levy sighed happily before joining in his laughter.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm back**

Gajeel's alarm chirped at 8 am Saturday morning. He turned it off and sat up. He traded shifts with Natsu, so he took an extra hour to sleep, but he preferred to wake up fairly early. It gave him more time to get shit done. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and climbed out of bed. He pulled on running clothes and made himself some toast as he laced up his running shoes. If he had kept his early shift, Gajeel would've gone for a run later in the day, but since he had the opportunity now he figured he might as well take advantage of the coolness of the morning. He finished his toast and swallowed a quick cup of water before stepping out the front door.

The morning still felt fresh. It was still early in September, so it would get hot later on, but for now, there was a breeze and a subtle foggy feeling to the air. It felt light and refreshing- perfect for a run.

As he ran, Gajeel's mind wandered back to last night's party. Fairy Tail never ceased to surprise him. They were absolutely nuts in the best sort of way. Then, of course, there was Levy who had definitely said that Jet and Droy were jealous of him. It didn't make him mad that the two felt that way. If they were jealous that meant there was something for them to be jealous of, particularly something between him and Levy. Gajeel would be lying to himself if he said he didn't have a thing for Levy. It was strange, sure, and it definitely snuck up on him, but he wasn't going to pretend his feelings for her didn't exist. Thinking about it only made Gajeel smile to himself as he continued on running. Although as happy as it made Gajeel that Jet and Droy were jealous of him, it was really pissing him off that those two numbskulls still hated him. Now, Gajeel still hated himself for what he did, but he's a better person now than he was before. Levy's two best friends were the only ones in Fairy Tail that refused to even entertain the possibility that Gajeel was a decent guy.

Gajeel rounded back to his house and warmed down before jumping in the shower. When he was done rinsing off, he pulled on his yellow referee shirt and black shorts. He grabbed his cleats and a water and walked over to his truck. He hesitated when he got to the door before turning and walking to the field instead. It wasn't that far, and it was a nice day. Might as well save the gas money, right?

Gajeel arrived at the soccer fields about fifteen minutes before noon to get ready for the start of the game. He checked in with the coaches as the teams of girls warmed up. Gajeel scanned the field of girls in soccer jerseys and tried to remember which team Wendy was on. The teams were red and purple, the A level teams, so Wendy was definitely here somewhere. Wendy may be small, but she's got a lot of power inside her. She went to the clinics and training sessions Gajeel and Natsu ran almost religiously and it was clear that she had some serious potential as an athlete. Beyond that she was absolutely adorable, so she quickly became Gajeel and Natsu's favorite. She often asked to train with them when they had free time, and she was locked down to attend FTA in a few years. As his eyes scanned the field he heard a small voice call his name from behind. He turned to see little Wendy Marvell waving at him with her hair in pigtails and a red soccer jersey hanging loosely around her torso.

"Hey, kid," Gajeel said, turning to face Wendy.

"Hi!" Wendy chirped back. "I didn't think I'd see you today, I thought it was supposed to be Natsu."

"We switched shifts. Is that a problem?"

"No, it's great! Atsu lives around the corner from me so I see him pretty often, but I don't get to see you as much."

"Well let me know if you wanna swing by to run some drills or anything, or I could come to you. Salamander doesn't have as strong a defense as I do, and you should be working on everything you can if you wanna play in the big leagues one day. Hey, I saw you at Juvia's yesterday. Going to high school parties already?"

Wendy blushed a little. "Yeah, I guess. Everyone at Fairy Tail is just so nice! They're my friends, and Juvia invited me. It was fun!"

"Yeah, just make sure you're staying out of trouble, you hear?" Gajeel didn't want her drinking or getting into fights or anything like that. Wendy was a good kid, and she had great potential. Gajeel didn't want to see her throw that away.

Wendy looked up at Gajeel and smiled before nodding.

"That's a good girl. Now go on and warm up, you don't want to get hurt or nothing."

Wendy turned and ran back to her team, waving at Gajeel over her shoulder one more time. Gajeel smiled to himself. He liked Wendy and it made him happy that she looked up to him.

Levy breathed in the crisp air as she walked, the light breeze dance through the hem of her favorite orange sundress. It was warm, but the air held hints of colder weather to come. She looked around at the sun glowing through the leaves and branches of the trees surrounding the path. She could hear some commotion nearby and guessed that it was probably a rec sports game, probably soccer given the time of year. She glanced down the grassy slope next to where she was walking and confirmed that there was, in fact, a soccer game in progress on the field at the bottom. She went to look away, but then something caught her eye. Well, actually it was two somethings. At first, she spotted Wendy's dark blue pigtails trailing behind her as she dribbled the ball down the field, but as Wendy passed by the referee Levy noticed a certain someone else and stopped in her tracks. It was Gajeel. He was watching over a girl's soccer match. Levy moved a little ways down the slope and sat in the grass. Part of her was surprised to see Gajeel there, but mostly it just seemed to fit. She watched him bouncing around the field, keeping an eye on the ball and all the players half his size while not getting in the way. He was very light on his feet, which made Levy smile to herself. She sat and watched the last ten minutes of the game and even found herself cheering along with the parents.

When the girls started to clear the field and the parents began folding up their chairs Gajeel conferred briefly with the ref that showed up for the next game before turning to walk home. As he started up the hill to the sidewalk he spotted a familiar head of blue hair. He smiled to himself as he approached Levy. She sat laid out on the dress in a very attractive orange dress with white ribbon along the top. It was a classic Levy look: sweet and playful with a bit of spunk to it.

"I didn't know you worked as a referee," Levy said.

Gajeel sat down next to her. "Are you surprised or somethin'?"

Levy thought for a moment. "No."

"Interesting."

Levy was confused. "Why's that so interesting?"

"Most people assume I work in some garage or something. Most people can't imagine me working with kids."

"You know, there was a while where I wouldn't think so either. But you've been surprising me so much lately I'd probably believe anything you told me."

Gajeel looked down at Levy for a moment. She looked back up at him, smiling as the breeze ruffled through their hair. Gajeel wanted badly to lean down and kiss her, and Levy wanted badly for him to. After a while, Gajeel spoke.

"You wanna get out of here? You can come round my place if you want. We could watch a movie or work on homework or something."

"I'd like that," Levy said.

"Hope you don't mind walking," Gajeel said.

"Not at all," She said, laughing.

The two stood and walked off towards Gajeel's house


	8. Chapter 8

Levy sat on Gajeel's couch with her heart pounding remarkably fast. He had gone into the kitchen to make some popcorn while she queued up a movie. She was nearly panicking trying to figure out what kind of movie to put on. She wanted to put on something that could be fun and maybe a little romantic, but if she chose a romance movie or even a romantic comedy it would be so easy for Gajeel to see through her and there was no way that Gajeel, a tall, strong, funny, tough senior guy would be interested in a shy little junior like her, right?

"What am I supposed to do, Pantherlily?" She said softly to Gajeel's little grey can who sat on the arm of the couch next to her. He mewed softly before jumping off and slinking away. Levy sighed and turned back to the television. She scrolled through netflix trying to calm down and make a decision.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen Gajeel leaned against the counter staring blankly at the microwave as the bag of popcorn spun in circles. He had just invited Levy to his house to watch a movie with him and she said yes. In fact she said she'd like it. The walked back had been warm and breezy and full of joking around. Their hands brushed past each other a few times and Gajeel had wrestled with whether or not he should attempt to intertwine his fingers with hers, but each time he decided that he really wanted to the moment had passed. Now Levy was in the next room sitting on his couch waiting for him and he was suddenly incredibly insecure about everything. His house was really not that nice, and the living room was kind of a mess, and a girl as sweet as her couldn't possibly have any romantic feelings for a guy like him, not after everything he'd done to her. They were just friends. Tons of little memories flooded into his mind. Little snippets of times when he thought that just maybe she liked im too. The way she blushed when he teased her, the way she smiled up at him, the other day when they hid pressed together in a closet, last night at Juvia's when she had said Jet and Droy were jealous, when he had leaned in toward her and her eyes flicked down to his lips...oh god, did he want to be with her. He had realized that his feelings for her were more than platonic sometime late last fall. There was some homecoming dance at FTA and Juvia had insisted on dragging him out to it to try to make friends. She had walked in with Jet and Droy all dolled up with a fancy dress and Gajeel found himself staring. He couldn't help the fluttery feelings that ran through him when she noticed him across the room and waved cheerily before turning back to Lucy. Gajeel was snapped out of his memory by the microwave going off. He pulled the bag out and emptied its contents into a bowl. He took a deep breath and silently reassured himself that it was possible that Levy had feelings for him, and that even if she didn't that was okay because even having her as just a friend was great. He picked up the bowl and crossed into the living room.

When Gajeel got to the couch, Levy still hadn't settled on a movie to watch. What kind of movie would be great for a date but also good if this wasn't supposed to be a date sort of thing? What if she chose a movie that was too date-like and made things awkward if Gajeel didn't return her feelings? But what if by some possibility he did but her movie choice was too casual and he thought she didn't like him?

"You all right, shrimp?" Levy was very suddenly made aware that Gajeel had returned and sat down next to her. A blush furiously covered her cheeks as she looked up at him.

"Yeah!" She replied, a bit too enthusiastically, "I just can't chose a movie is all."

"Well, what about that one?" Gajeel asked pointing, "Don't you love that book?"

"Pride and Prejudice? Well, yeah, but I didn't think you'd like that kind of thing."

"But you love it."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Just play the movie, shorty," Gajeel said laughing.

Levy smiled and selected Pride and Prejudice.

When the movie ended and the bowl of popcorn sat empty on the table, Levy had a huge smile across her face. She loved Pride and Prejudice She sat curled into the couch with her knees pulled into her chest and sighed in contentment as the credits rolled. Gajeel sat with his feet up on the coffee table and his arms resting lazily across the back of the couch. He looked down at Levy as she smiled and felt a soft smile settle onto his face. She really was something special. He loved how excited she got about things like school or books, and how he big brown eyes seemed to sparkle when she smiled, and how gently and delicate and beautiful she of all, he loved to see her happy and he silently wished to himself that he could be the one to make her happy.

Levy turned and looked up at Gajeel.

"Thanks for watching with me," She chirped, "I know it probably wasn't your kind of thing, but I do really love it."

"It wasn't half bad," Gajeel said, shrugging.

"You really think so?" She was practically beaming.

"Well, yeah, it wouldn't really be my top pick, but it was worth it to make you happy" Gajeel was very serious all of a sudden.

"What?" Levy wasn't sure what to make of this. When did they get so close together?

"I like seeing you happy, Levy." Gajeel hardly ever used Levy's name. In this moment it seemed incredibly endearing. She felt herself leaning into his side as he seemed to lean down closer to her. All either of them could think in that moment was how much they wanted to be kissing. Gajeel moved to brush a strand of Levy's soft blue hair out of her face when he felt her grab his wrist and hold his hand in place against her. He watched, unsure, as she looked down for a moment, but when she looked up again and met his eyes he was more certain than he had ever been in his life; He was going to kiss this girl and he was going to do it now.

He leaned down and closed the space between them. He felt Levy's breath hitch in her throat for just a moment before she kissed him back. The kiss was absolutely wonderful; it was warm and gentle and full of longing from both of them. Any insecurities either of them had melted away and it seemed like that moment was all that existed, or at the very least all that mattered. Levy moved her hands up to hold Gajeel's face to hers as Gajeel's hand moved down to her waist to pull her closer to him. As they kissed it felt like they couldn't get close enough. Gajeel guided Levy onto his lap and his arms wrapped around her. He wanted to make her feel safe with him. Levy tangled one of her hands into Gajeel's hair as the kiss deepened. They pulled apart for air and Levy rested her forehead against Gajeel's. They both broke out into wide, cheerful smiles.

"I've wanted to do that for a really long time," Gajeel said softly.

"I've wanted you to for a long time," Levy replied.

Gajeel's smile widened as he moved to kiss her again.

Before he got the chance to, the front door burst open and Gajeel's dad stumbled in smelling like cigarettes and cheap booze.

"What the hell is going on here, boy?" The man yelled.

"Are you drunk?" Gajeel asked, moving Levy off his lap to sit on the couch again as he got up and walked over to his dad. The man stumbled again and started to fall when Gajeel caught him.

"Get off me, boy!"

Levy felt very much like she was seeing something she shouldn't. Gajeel's father stormed off up the stairs and Gajeel watched him with furrowed brows.

"I should probably get going," Levy said, getting up and crossing the room.

"Do you want me to walk you home or anything?"

"No, that's okay. I'll see you later, though, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

Levy pulled the door open and turned to leave.

"Hey, shorty," Gajeel called before she was through the doorway. Levy turned around and Gajeel kissed her once more. It was quick, but it was incredibly sweet and filled Levy with warmth. "I'll see you later," He said quietly after they pulled away. Levy smiled brightly up at him before turning and walking the few streets over to her house, smiling the whole way.


End file.
